Automatic tension-controlling mechanism



T. J. JONES. AUTOMATIC TENSION CONTROLLING MECHANISM;

I APPLICATI ON FILED FEB.26, I920. 1,395,83Q

Pate

m Nov. 1,19%

2 SHEETSSH EET I.

. J 'INVENTOR Zimms' d'dmw,

ATTO R N EYS T. J. JONES. AUTOMATIC TENSION CONTROLLING MECHANISM.

APPLI'CATTON EILED' FEB. 26, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNIT

AUTOMATIC TENSION-CONTROLLING MECHANISM.

To all whom it mayconcem." Be it known that I, v

a citizen of the United States, reslding at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Tension-Controlling Mechanism; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full,

-. clear,and exact 'description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. v

The present invention relates, generally, to automatic tension controlling mechanism; and, the invention has reference, more particularly, to automatic tension controlling means for printing presses, looms and all other machines operating with sheetor web material to be wound or unwound under a fixed tension.- 1

The invention has for itsprincipal object to automatically control the feeding of sheet or web material from or to a roll, so that the tension of the material at a desired point beyond the roll maybe automatically maintained ata desired predeterminedor fixed degree, and whereby injury to the-web or sheet of material and delays in the work-.

ing'ofthe machine operating with such material may be avoided.

Other objects of the present invention,

not at this'time more particularly enumerated, will be clearly understood fromthe following detailed description of the same.

With the various objects of the present invention in view, the same consists, pri- 4'0 marily, in the novel construction of auto- 7 matic web .tension controlling means hereinafter set forth; and the invention consists, furthermore, in the novel arrangements andv combinations of the various-devices and parts,- as well as in thedetails of the construction of the same, all of which will be hereinafter more fully described, and then'fin'ally embodied the claims appended hereto.

' 5 ciples of the present. invention; Fig. 2 is Specification of Letters Patent.

THOMAS J. .JoNEs,

The invention is clearlyillustrated in the 1 is aside elevation of the novel a similar side elevation of the same-illustrating the operation thereof; and Fig. 3 1s a detail plan view of the same.

' Similar characters of reference [are em ployed in all of the hereinabove described news, toindicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to 'said drawings, I have so STATES PATENT OFFICE.

rnomas J. JONES, or JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY. 1

Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

Application filed February 26, 1920. Serial No. 361,424.

illustrated therein my invention as applied to web cylinderl printing presses, such as are usually employed in the printing ofnewspapers, although I wish it understood that the principles. of my invention are caery wherein it is desired to wind off or on rolls a web or.sheet of material under tenpable of use in many other classes of machinthe press where the roll ofnewsprint paper is mounted, so that the web of paper may feed from the roll to the printing point or cylinders of the press and beyond. Said frame-work 1 is provided with a; properly located detachable spindle 2, journaled in connection therewith for free rotation, and upon which is fixed or keyed the roll of newsprint paper 3 from which is fed, over suitably disposed. idler rollers 4, 5 and 6 mounted in connectionwith the frame-work l, the running web 7, which travels through the printing mechanism and thence on through the press, all in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art. Fixed on one end of said spindle 2 is a brake wheel 8. Secured upon a stud 9, con-- 'nected with and projecting from the side 'of said frame-work 1, is a bracket member 10 having downwardly projecting ears 11 to supporta pivot pin 12' upon which is pivotally mounted one end of a brake band ,device. Said brake band device comprises, preferably,- a plurality of brake band sections 13, 14 and 15. The brake band section- 13 isv pivoted at one.end uponsaid pivot 'pin 12, and thence over said; brake wheel. The brake band sections '14 and 15 are hinged, together at their adjoining ends by a hinge connection 16, thefre'e end of said sectlon 15 being pivotally connected with draw-links 17, the purpose and operation of which 'will subsequently be more fully disclosed. The-a'd-' extends upwardly 1 joining ends of said sections 13 -and 14.

are normally connected together by asuitable coupling device 18 operatable to disconnect the said sections 13 and 14 so that the brake band device may be opened up at bracket member is also provided'with a 'pair of upwardly projecting ears 20 to support a pivot pin 21 upon which .is fulcrumed a bell-crank lever 22, to the lower forwardly projecting arm 23 of which are pivotally connected the'upper ends of said draw-links 17. vAdj-ustably related to .said bell-crank lever 22, adjacent to its upper free end, is a face-plate 24. Pivotally con- :nected withthe frame-work 1 at each side of the press, preferably by journaling the hubs 25 thereof upon theoutwardly projecting ends of the spindle 26 uponwhich\ the idler roller 5 is mounted, are rearwardly 1 extending compensator arms 27 provided at their free ends with bearing portions 28. Journaled in said bearing portions 28, so: as to extend between the free ends of said arms 27, is a spindle 29 upon which is. mounted a compensator roll'30, which en-- gages said running web 7 at apoint intermediate said idler'rollers 5 and 6. One of said compensator arms 27 is provided with an oppositely 'or forwardly extending lever arm 31, preferably integrally connected therewith. Adjustably mounted and movable upon said lever arm 31 is a weight 32 adapted to counter-balance, to the desired degree theweight of said compensator roll 30 upon the running web 7, whereby the de-,

gree of tension under which the said web is to run may be predetermined. Fixed on the hub 25 of that compensator arm 27, which is located at 'the'side of the press where the above described brake mechanism is situated, is a cam-member 33'adapted to move simultaneously with the movement of said compensator arms and compensator roll. Said cam-member 33 is situated so as to operatively engage the face-plate 24 of said bell-crank lever 22, and by its moving pressure thereon being adapted to control the operative movements of said bell-crank lever, and through the latter said brake 1 mechanism.

, that the tension thereof at the printing point remains constant at all speeds, and to this end the weight 32 is adjusted upon the lever arm 31 so as to counter-balance the ter-balanced' to the degree desired, the nor- 'ward swinging movement of its arm. 23,

and tension. In order to assist the return weight of the compensator roll 30. as it 66 bears upon the web, thus fixing the degree of tension underwhich the 'web; 7 runs. When the compensator roll 30 is thus'counmal position of the same is established, and .70 also the normal position of the cam-member 33 is likewise determined, so that the bellcrank lever 22 may be properly adjusted to the cam-member. 33 by advancing or withdrawing the face-plate 24 to so contact with the cam-member when in such normal posi tion that the bell-crank lever is also normally established in brake releasing position Now a the web runs forward'through the "press, if the momentum of the roll of paper 0 3 gains headway sufficient to reel off the web faster than the press will take up the same under the desiredtension, the tendency will be to slacken the web as it passes beneath the compensator roll 30, whereupon the latter bears down upon webwith a downward swinging movement of the compensator arms 27 (as shown in Fig. 2), thus immediately taking up. the slack of the web 7, and through the action of the cam-member 33 upon the bell-crank lever 22 operating the brake-mechanism to check the momentum oi the roll of paper 3, thus at once checking any' loss of tension, or, in other words, automatically maintaining the ten-' sion to the desired degree. The rotation of the cam-member 33 causes the bell-crank lever 22 to swing rearwardly from its pivotal connectione2l, thus producing an up- Which in'turn pulls upwardly said'drawlinks 17, thereby tightening the brake-band devices to thrust the shoes 19 into frictional" binding or braking relation to the brakewheel 8, consequently resisting the-rotation of the spindle 2 and lowing down the roll of paper 3. 'As the roll of paper slows down, the taking up of the running web 7 by the press will tend to- 'returnor lift the compensator'roll 30 to normal initial position, thereby swinging upward the compensator arms 27 and reversing the rotation of the cam-member 33, so that the pressure of the latter upon the bell-crank lever 22 is released to permit the return thereof to normal initial position whereby the brakemechanism is released and the spindle 2 with the roll .of paper 3 is again free to rotate and feed ofl the web at proper speed of the bell-crank'lever 22 to normal position and at the same time aid in releasing the brake band mechanism, a spring means 34 is interconnected between the arm 23 of the bell-crank lever 22 and thefree end of the brake-band section 13. In order to prevent a too rapid upward swinging movement of the compensator arms 27 with the the appended claims.

compensator roll 30, whereby a vibratory oscillation of such elements would be produced detrimental to the maintenance of the steady tension of the web which is desired,

there is provided a pneumatic check mechanism comprising a c linder 35 pivoted by its lower end to the si e of said frame-work 1, in which reciprocates a plunger 36 interconnected, by the plunger rod 37 with the lever arm 31. Said pneumatic check mechanism is designed to yield readily to an upward swing of said lever arm 31 (which is coincident with the downward swing of said compensator arms 27), but by compression of the air in the cylinder. by a downward stroke of the plunger under impulsion of the downward swinging movement 0 saidlever arm 31 (which is coincident with the upward swing of said compensator arms 27), tends to check a too rapid movement of the latter, thus making for a steadily controlled return of the compensator roll to normal initial position. The cylinder 35 will be provided with a vent 38 permitting the comparatively slow discharge of the air compressed therein by the said downwardv movement of the plunger therein. Of course, other means for checking or steadying the return movements of the compensator devices may be employed within the intended scope of my invention. K It will be understood from the above description of my invention that I have devised a very simple yet efiicient mechanism for controlling: the reeling off of a running web, and one which may be employed in printing presses with advantage, and the principles of which may be also advantageous in controlling a web tension either in unreeling or reeling up operations of the same required by other types of machines generally used for other purposes.

When applied to printing presses my invention has the advantage of acting immediately on the-brake mechanism controlling the roll of paper 3 when necessity requires the sudden stopping of the press,.thereby preventing the roll from turning without danger of breaking, disarranging the running web 7, and thus automatically preventing one of the most frequent causes of delay, and also preventing great waste of paper.

-I am aware that some changes may be made in the'various arrangements and comblinations of the several devices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction of the same, without departing from the scope of my present invention as s forth in the foregoing specification and as fined in Hence, I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the various devices and parts as described in said specification, nor

f thewrinkling or otherwise do I confine myself to the axact details of the construction of said parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

I claim 2- 1. In a device of the kind described, a rotatable web roll supporting spindle having a brake wheel, pivoted compensator arms, a compensator roll journaled at the free ends of said compensator arms to extend therebetween, said compensator roll operating by gravity to engage the running web extending from said web roll, one of said compensator arms having an oppositely extend- 'brake mechanism automatically controlled by said cam-member, whereby racing of'the running web tending to relax the desired normal tension of the same brakes and checks the feeding movement of the web roll.

2. In a device of the kind described, a rotatable web roll supporting spindle having I a brake wheel, pivoted compensator arms, a compensator roll journaled at the free ends of said compensator arms to' extend there-, between, said compensator roll operating b gravity to engage the running web exte'n mg from said web roll, one of said compensator armshaving an oppositely extending lever portion, a counter-balancing 'weight adjustable on said lever portion for regulating the weight or pressure of said compensator roll on the running web "to deter} mine the desired normal tension of the latter,'a cam-member adapted to be rotated by the oscillationof said compensator arms, a brake mechanism cotiperating with said brake wheel, and a lever mechanism for actuating said brake mechanism, the operative movemehts of said lever mechanism being automatically controlled by said cam-member, whereby racing of the running web tending to relax the desired normal'tension of the same brakes and checks the feeding movement of the web roll.

3. In a device of the kind described, a r0- tatable web roll supporting spindle having a brake wheel, pivoted compensator arms, a

compensator roll journaled at the free ends of said compensator arms to extend there- J between, said compensator roll en aging the running web extending from said web roll, one of said compensator arms having an oppositely, extending lever-portion, a counterbalancing weight adjustable on said lever portion, a cam-member adapted to be rotated by the oscillation of said compensator arms,

cam-member.

4. In a device of-the kind described, a rotatable web roll supporting spindle'having a'brake wheel, pivoted compensator arms, a

compensator roll journaled at the free ends.v

of said compensator arms to' extend therebetween, said compensator roll engaging the running web extending from said web roll,

' one of said compensator arms having an oppositely extending lever portion, a counter balancing weight adjustable on said lever portion, a cam-member adapted to be rotated by the oscillation ofsaid compensator arms, a brake mechanism cooperating with said brake wheel, a lever mechanism for actuating said brake mechamsm, the operative movements of said lever mechanism being automatically controlled by said cammember, means for adjustin said lever mechanism to the initial position of said cam-member, and means for checking violent and unsteady movement of said compensator arms when returning to normal initial position after operation thereof.

' 5. In a device of the kind described,a rotatable web 'roll'supporting spindle having a brake wheel, pivoted compensator arms, a

compensator roll journaled at the free en'ds of said compensator arms to extend there- I between, said compensator roll engaging'the running wveb' extending from said web roll,

- one of said compensatorarms having an oppositely extendinglever portion, a'counterbalancing weight adjustable on said lever portion, a brake mechanism cooperating with said brake wheel, means automatically actuated by the oscillation of said compensator arms for operating said brake mechanism, and means for checking-violent and.

. unsteady movement of said compensator arms when returnlng to normal lmtial-posltion after operation thereof.

l 6. In a device of the kind described, a ro-' tatable web roll supporting spindle having a brake wheel, a pivotedpscillatable tension compensator mechanism in engagement with the running web extending from the web roll, a brake mechanism cooperating with said brake wheel, means operated movement of said compensator mechanism the-' for automatically actuating said brakemechanism, 'and meansfor checking violent and unsteady movement of said compensator ee mechanism when returnlng to normal 1n1tia'l position after operation.

7. In a device of the kind described, a rotatable web roll supporting spindle having a brake wheel, *a pivoted oscillatable tension compensator mechanism under which the running web extending from said web roll is engaged, a cam-member operated by the movement of said compensator mechanism, a .brake'mechanism cooperating with 9 said brake wheel, means for operating said brake -mechanism automatically controlled bysaid cam-me mber, and means for checking violent and unsteady movement of said compensator mechanism when returning. to at normal initial position after operation.

8. In a device of the kind described, a rotatable web roll supporting'spindle having a brake wheel, a pivotedoscillatable tension compensator mechanism in engagement with 8% the runningweb extending from the Web roll, an adjustable means for counter-balancing said compensator mechanism, a brake mechanismcooperating with said brake wheel, means operated by the movement of at said compensator mechanism for automatic ally actuating sald brake-mechanism, and

' means for checking violent and unsteady movement of sald compensator mechanism when returning to normal initial posltion 0 after operation.1

9. In a device ofthe kind described, a rotatable web roll supporting spindle having a brake wheel, a pivoted oscillatable tension compensator anechanism under which the running web extending from the web roll is engaged, a cam-member operated by the movement of said compensator mechanism, a brake 'mechanismcooperating with said brake wheel, a lever mechanism for actuating said brake mechanism, the operative movements of said. lever mechanism being automatically controlled by said cam-member, and means for checking violent and unsteady movement of said compensator mecha- 1 msm when returning to normal lmtial pos1- tion after operation.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth'above I have hereunto set my hand this 3rd day of February, 1920. 1

THOMAS J. JONES, Witnesses 5 is GEO GE D'. RICHARDS,

, BARBARA .SUTTERLIN. 

